Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem opens with a bleak image: "These Indians explain away their hair between despair and beer." This line sets the tone for the entire piece, suggesting that the act of drinking serves as a way to cope with or temporarily escape from the despair that permeates their lives. The mention of "hair" might symbolize something personal and natural, being caught between the internal and external forces of their environment. The casualness with which two people "pass out unnoticed on the floor" underscores the sense of routine hopelessness that has become a part of daily life.

Hugo introduces the figure of a man who "answers to a cop for children left five hours in a car," a situation that encapsulates the neglect and desperation experienced by those in the bar. This moment speaks to the broader social and economic issues that plague the community, where individuals are often forced to make impossible choices, leading to tragic consequences.

The speaker reflects on his own presence in this setting: "Whatever I came here for, engagement with the real, tomorrow's trip to Babb, the first words spoken 'white man' split my tongue." This acknowledgment of being an outsider—both racially and culturally—highlights the uncomfortable awareness of his own privilege and the disconnect between his intentions and the reality he encounters. The phrase "I buy a round of beer no phonier than my money is wrong" suggests a sense of futility in his attempt to connect with the people in the bar, recognizing that his gesture, while well-intentioned, is ultimately meaningless in the face of their deeper struggles.

Hugo listens to the stories around him, noting that "whatever story, I hear between the lines the novel no one wants." This line suggests that the true stories of these people's lives—stories of pain, loss, and survival—are ones that are too difficult or uncomfortable to be fully acknowledged or understood. The reference to "a small aunt whipped the brave who grovels now in puke and odd hymns at my feet" further illustrates the degradation and loss of dignity that has befallen the individuals in this community.

The poem continues to explore the theme of disillusionment with the line "A squaw says no help from the mountains," indicating a loss of faith in the natural world or traditional beliefs as sources of solace or strength. The "Blood who stole her husband breaks up all day in her beer" adds to the portrayal of lives shattered by personal and social crises, with alcohol serving as both a refuge and a further source of destruction.

Children, described as "drink[ing] us in through windows ten years thick," represent the next generation, observing and absorbing the despair around them, suggesting that the cycle of poverty and hopelessness will continue. The idea that "It never ends, this brutal way we crack our lives across our backs" speaks to the relentless nature of their suffering, and the resignation to a fate that seems inescapable. The speaker's hope that "with luck we'll be soft derelicts" captures the desire for an end that is at least peaceful, if not redemptive.

The poem's reflection on the future—"The next sun is no softer"—implies that the coming days will bring no relief, and the idea of the moon offering "some round white ringing lie about the future trout and kiss" suggests that even the natural world, once perhaps a source of hope or renewal, now feels distant and deceptive. The "moon outside lights the alley to familiar hells" reinforces the idea that the struggles of the people in the bar are inescapable, part of a broader, ongoing pattern of hardship and despair.

Hugo concludes the poem by turning inward, contemplating his own position as an outsider: "And I, a Mercury outside, a credit card, a job, a faded face—what should I do?" This rhetorical question reveals the speaker's deep sense of alienation and helplessness. The reference to "Mercury," the Roman god associated with travel, commerce, and communication, suggests that the speaker is someone who is constantly moving, never truly rooted or connected to the places he visits. His "credit card" and "job" symbolize the privileges that set him apart from the people in the bar, while his "faded face" hints at his own sense of weariness and loss of identity.

The poem ends with a final, haunting image: "Go off shaggy to the mountains, a spot remote enough to stay unloved and die in flowers, stinking like a bear?" This line encapsulates the speaker's existential crisis, torn between the desire to escape and the recognition that such an escape would be both lonely and ultimately futile. The juxtaposition of dying "in flowers" with "stinking like a bear" captures the tension between the romanticized notion of retreating into nature and the harsh reality of decay and death.

"Night at the Napi in Browning" is a powerful exploration of the intersection between personal and collective despair, the complexities of cultural and racial identity, and the moral ambiguities of being an observer in a world of suffering. Richard Hugo's use of stark imagery and raw emotion creates a poignant and unsettling portrait of a community on the margins, where the weight of history and poverty crushes the spirit, and where even the well-meaning outsider can offer little more than hollow gestures. The poem invites readers to confront the uncomfortable realities of inequality and alienation, while also grappling with the limitations of empathy and the desire for escape.

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